An Unorthodox Adventure
by DocAzure
Summary: Jeff is 16, nearly 17, and every year he's taken, and failed his trainer test, never managing to get a trainer licence. Prof. Oak is getting tired of his constant failings, and forms a plan. This sparks the beginning of Jeff's journey across Kanto, 10 years after the events of RBY. Based on game canon, with some anime influences. Updated weekly.
1. Sleepy Student

"Welcome to the world of Pokémon!"

Jeff is sleeping, well, _trying_ to get to sleep. He's supposed to be learning, but instead, he's loathing. Every word that comes out of Prof. Oak's mouth is just going straight in, and straight out. Apparently the old guy could ramble, and Jeff didn't have know it. Constantly going on about how they needed to learn that Pokémon are important, blah blah blah, about how they effect our world. Every trainer in...eh, training, has to sit through this, right before they take their test, the test that Jeff has always failed. You see, He was probably the oldest person in that lecture, he was going turn 17 in couple of months, and he still didn't have a trainers licence. Yeah, you could blame it on the fact that they raised the age to 12, but honestly, it's because he just didn't listen. They only do it once a year, and every year since he was twelve, he's failed it. Maybe it was his lack of interest, but he clearly never really had the drive to study hard in order to pass.

"Jeff, am I boring you?"

Oak was onto him now. He propped himself up with his arms, trying to stay awake. He was thinking that he probably should stop browsing Pokémon League Gym Babes late at night, because that sort of stuff can mess with your sleeping pattern. He had learned why the Cerulean Gym leader liked water so much though...

"No professor, I'm listening, just resting my eyes."

"Hm, well, come see me after this lecture, I'd like to speak to you before the test."

He was in for it now.

The lecture had passed, with Jeff constantly drifting in and out of sleep throughout. He was sure that Oak had noticed, but to his suprise, he didn't seem to care.

The lab was empty now, and he was still left sitting. Oak had told him to wait until everyone had left before talking to him. Standing up, he made his way towards Oak's small office, in the corner of the lab. Reaching the door, which was shut, he entered.

Oak was sitting at his desk, fiddling with something as usual.

"Ah, Jeff, good to see you. Why don't you take a seat."

Oak motioned towards the empty chair at the other side of the desk.

"I'm just footering around with this thing Professor Rowan sent me, you know, he's from Sinnoh, he delivered a lecture here last year...anyway, do you have any idea why I held you back?"

Jeff nodded

"You see, Jeff, I'm really getting weary of you constantly messing up your trainer test. It must be some sort of record. I mean, what, 4 failures?"

"Yeah...must be that many."

Oak stood up, turning to face the open window, looking out onto the field where the various Pokémon roamed.

"It's staggering, honestly. It's like you don't wish to become a trainer, do you?"

"Professor, of course I do, must just be bad luck or something like that."

"You do realize that this is your last chance? I mean, to take your test for free. Once you're older than 16, you have to pay, and I know you or your family can't afford that sort of money."

He was right, without his Dad, his mother had to work extra hard. They weren't poor, but could he expect her to pay for such stuff.

"That's why I'd like you to meet me in here tomorrow morning about..eh, 9am. I've got an idea that you might like the sound of."

"OK Professor."

"Just...make sure you're on time, my mother has been telling me about your late night internet history..."

Oak shot him a wry look.

"Heh...yeah...I'll be there."

Jeff stood up and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him. What could Oak be up to? He'd heard about the bizarre things the Professor called research, including sending random kids out with a PokeDex, asking them to complete it. He's kinda stopped that now, what with how most Pokémon have been discovered. On a related note, his mind turned to Red, current league champion, previous idol of his. He hadn't visited Pallet for a couple of years, and had become somewhat of a legend. The league really changed for the better those 10 years ago, no more criminal organisation dons as gym leaders. This train of thought was suddenly broken when he opened to door of the lab, coming face to face with Dan.

"For Arceus' sake Jeff, watch where the hell you're going!"

Dan was the one guy that always seemed to know exactly how to tick him off, he'd call him a 'rival', but that just sounds silly. In Jeff's eyes, he was just some guy too big for his boots. Always antagonising him, putting him down. He should just give him a word or two right now, put him straight.

"...sorry Dan."

Well, that's what he'd do if he had confidence, something that was really lacking, probably all thanks to Dan.

"Heh, well, that's OK, suppose you can't expect much from the 4 time trainer failure. You should get an award for that or something!"

Dan sneered, his laugher burning into Jeff's head.

"I'm just here to show Oak this new Pokémon I've caught, normally, it's hard to catch, but with my Blastoise, it was a breeze..."

"Yeah...that's cool Dan..."

"Anyway, I ain't got time to be speaking with failures, see-ya Jeffail!"

Dan cracked up again at his own joke, then headed inside the lab.

Letting out a sigh, Jeff put his hands in his pockets and started to make his way home through the road going behind the lab.

What sort of guy would he become if he couldn't leave this place. I mean, Pallet is a nice place, he thought, but it's all very dead end. He'd love to see the world, place like Unova, Sinnoh, hell, maybe even Orre. He once visited Johto on vacation once, and he loved it, all the different varieties of Pokémon he saw there, the amazing Bellsprout tower...he wondered if Azalea was nice this time of year. His thoughts made the walk back home seem shorter than usual, his mind was on overdrive right now, he guessed that it was probably due to what Oak was talking of.

He opened the gate and entered the front garden, then made his way towards the door, pulling his keys out of his pocket. Reaching the door, he unlocked it and entered, shutting the door behind him. He then threw his bag on the floor, next to the coat hanger, and went into the kitchen.

There was a note pinned up on the fridge.

Dear Jeff,

I've been called to the Daycare on an emergency, so I made you a sandwich and left it in the fridge for you. Please try to go to bed at a decent time tonight, because I might not be back until late. If that happens, I've left some lasagna in the oven for your dinner.

Love, Mom

The usual. His mother worked in the Pokémon Daycare on Cinnabar Island, and had done so for the past 5 years. The place had been built during the reconsturction process after the eruption. It was a hard job, due to the half hour sail to the island, and it didn't exactly pay well, considering the sporadic hours. Most of the time she had to deal with Pokémon that had been abandoned at sea, or wild Pokémon that had been hit by boats. Really awful stuff.

He discarded the note and opened the fridge, then he reached in and took out the plate that had his sandwich on it. He also grabbed a bottle of MooMoo Milk, then shut the fridge. He then grabbed the jar filled with Lava Cookies from the counter, taking it, along with his sandwich and the milk through to the living room.

He placed everything out on the table, grabbed the TV remote, and collapsed on the sofa, groaning heavily.


	2. Battle Broadcasting

TV always helped clear his mind, especially the Battle Network. They broadcasted Pokémon League matches live, showing challengers going through the Elite Four, and finally coming face to face with the champion, Red. It rarely happened, in fact, he was sure that it's never happened, he had never seen a challenger come up against Red. They always fell at the Elite Four, Lance being the impassable barrier, someone who had racked up an impressive battle ratio of only one loss as an E4 member, and that was against Red. He actually used to be Champion before losing to Blue, who had also came from Pallet. He's the current gym leader of Viridian City, and also Oak's grandson.

He turned it on, just in time to catch the beginning of a match. The challenger was some guy that had apparently travelled there all the way from Hoenn, a region that Jeff really wasn't too familiar with. He was coming up against Koga, the master of poison type Pokémon.

The arena was the typical Koga fare, a dark jungle setting, long grass, perfect for an ambush, something that really played into his hands, the ninja tactics he used commonly. He made his usual opening statement, about how he was surprised that a "mere child would challenge him", it was something he always tried, as getting your opponent annoyed is a sure-fire way to knock off their focus. He then sent out his first Pokémon, it was an Arbok, his usual opener, with its strong poison moves. If this guy was smart, he'd send out a ground or psychic type. If he'd got this far, it would be silly if he didn't. Sure enough, he sent out a Hypno. This should be over fast, this Arbok doesn't stand a chance, Jeff thought.

The challenger opened his attack with a Psychic, going directly for the straight out offence. The only problem being that Arbok was...gone? Sure enough, the Psychic missed, due to there being no clear target. Suddenly, striking out from a bush was the Arbok, intiating a wrap attack. This restricted Hypno completely with a crushing grip. To add to the pain, the Arbok was then commanded to crunch, a dark attack that was super effective against the Hypno. This attack triggered the beginning of the end, as the challenger was forced to return it. Koga, still confident that his Arbok could easily win this single-handed, kept the Pokémon out. The challenger's next choice was a Blaziken, fighting and fire, and one the Jeff had never really seen before.

It's appearance excited him, and he sat forward, ready to see what moves it would use. He did remember the Professor telling him about the starter Pokémon in other regions, and he knew that this was the final form of Torchic. Koga opened again with a similair attack, wrapping the Blaziken up. This didn't last long, however, as it was instructed by it's trainer to use seismic toss, in an attempt to end the wrap. This was successful, as it launched the Arbok into the air, triggering a chain of attacks that resulted in the defeat of the snake. A toss, then a flamethrower, burning the thing into a loss. Koga returned it,visibly smirking. He tossed out a second Pokémon. Nidoking.

He always saved this one for the trainers that presented a certain...risk. It was the wild card, the unpredictable one. Rumors said that it was Koga's first Pokémon, and that it's been with him for the whole of his life. This sort of bond was clearly shown, as they were perfectly in sync. This made Jeff wonder what it was like to have such a bond, he'd never experienced any such connection with a Pokémon, and he'd likely never. He shrugged off this thought and got back to the match, discovering that, in the few second he had lost interested, the Blaziken was on the floor, fainted. The Nidoking had triggered an earhquake, an attack that completely devestated the playing field, and defeated the challengers Pokémon. This was it. After the league rule change a couple of years back, you were restricted to three Pokémon, in an attempt to increase the challenge. This one here was massively crucial, as if it went down, this Hoenn challenger was finished. He sent out his final Pokémon, a Jolteon. Bad idea.

Jeff guessed that it was probably down to stress. This electric type would be crushed by another earthquake. However, he failed to take into account the speed of the beast. It struck the Nidoking fast with a quick attack, knocking the monster back with an immense amount of power. This attack then continued in the form of a bite, right into the chest of Nidoking. These attacks, while fast, didn't seem to visibly do much to the health of Nidoking, and this was proven when Jolteon's attack ceased, giving the window of opportunity to Koga, who made his Nidoking use a horn attack, which struck Jolteon, a critical hit, sending the electric type right into a wall. After the dust from the impact had cleared, it revealed the Pokémon had clearly fainted. It was over. Literally, the program just finished. They don't really go much into after the battle, mostly out of respect for the challengers, it would be seen as insulting if they focused on such a thing. He checked what was on the other channels, flicking through.

"Mystery of Mew...eh, boring..."

He finished off his sandwich and glugged down the MooMoo Milk, then laid back on the sofa. He tried to pay attention to what was being said, maybe he could learn something.

"Our region, Kanto, has a long and rich history with the mysterious Mew. From the research on Cinnabar Island, to the creation of the powerful Mewtwo, but what do we know about this creature?"

Jeff...well, Jeff was sleeping. He's not exactly good at paying attention, easily bored by certain things. To be fair, he was at home, where you're supposed to sleep, right? Anyway, he remained like this for a while...a long while. Long enough that the sun had went down, and came up again. With no alarm, he was just left...until a loud noise woke him. The noise of his Mom entering the house.

"Hello?"

She walked into the living room, seeing him half asleep on the sofa.

"Jeff, what did I tell you?"

"Uh...sorry Mom..."

She walked in and sat on the chair opposite.

"Wait, Mom, what time is it?"

"It's about half past nine, why?"

Jeff bolted up, flung the door to the hall open, and ran upstairs into his room. Entering the room, he grabbed a change of clothes, and then exited, going into the bathroom opposite. He stripped off and jumped into the shower, quickly turning it on and washing. He was only in for a couple of minutes before jumping out again. He quickly dried off, and pulled on his clothes. Three quarter length jeans, and a white t-shirt. He then dashed back down stairs, grabbing his red jacket and cap that was hung up on the coat hook.

"What's the hurry?!"

His Mom grabbed him by the scruff of his t-shirt, pulling him back.

"Uh...the professor, told me to meet him at the lab around nine am."

She let out a sigh and loosened her grip.

"You better hurry then, and don't forget your bag, it's on the table."

Jeff nodded, while putting his jacket and cap on. He then picked his bag off the table and slung it over his back. It was time to go.


	3. Field Face-Off

The sun burned into Jeff's eyes as he opened the door, causing him to stagger back slightly. He quickly readjusted however, and leapt over the fence in front of him. He needed to hurry, Oak wouldn't be too pleased with him. Making a sharp turn, he started running down the back road to the lab, bounding over various obstacles, like the tree stumps and weeds that littered the dirt path. He eventually reached the back gate of the lab, vaulting over it. He messed his footing up, however, and landed hard, going over his leg and tumbling right into a tree.

CRUNCH

The tree shook with the impact, scaring many of the flying and bug types that used it as a home. Most fled, however some decided to stay, in an attempt to defend their home. One of these Pokémon included a swarm of Beedrill, who, in an attempt to protect their Kakuna brethren, had begun preparing to attack.

"Uh...my head..."

Jeff stood up, scratching the back of his head, adjusting his jacket and coat. He noticed one thing that was missing however, his bag. He looked upwards, noticing the large number of Beedrill that had began to gather. He had found his bag, it was now hooked over one of the Beedrill. This didn't look good.

"BZZZZZZZZZ" one of the Beedrill suddenly charged at him with it's stinger, attempting a poison sting. This was gonna hurt.

"ARCANINE, USE EXTREME SPEED!"

A large Pokémon struck the Beedrill, sending it into the fence, demolishing the structure. It was an Arcanine. But who's Arcanine?

"You should really watch yourself out here, pal."

Jeff opened his eyes to see a hand outstretched, offering to help him up. It was Blue.

"Sorry, I just...kinda tumbled into the tree, I didn't mean to disturb the wild Beedrill..."

Jeff took Blue's hand, and got up.

"Eh, don't worry about it, my Arcanine needed to stretch his muscles a little...who are you anyway? Have you come to see Gramps?"

"Oh, the name is Jeff, and yeah, I'm here to see Professor Oak..."

"Ah, I've heard a little about you, how you keep failing your trainer test."

Jeff glanced down, appearing visibly embarrassed. This guy was a legend of Pallet Town, a rival of Red's in his youth, and here Jeff was, talking to him. Sadly, it was about how much of a mess up he was.

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by it, I'm sure you'll crack it eventually. Just keep trying, that's the motto I live by!"

"...I guess I'll do it soon enough."

"Anyway, what do you want with Gramps?"

Jeff...honestly still had no clue. It had completely slipped his mind as to WHY he had to be at the lab, he was just told.

"He didn't really tell me, he just said I had to meet him in his lab at nine."

"Typical, anyway, isn't it a little past nine now? You better get a move on. I'll see you around."

Jeff nodded and turned around, making to leave.

"Wait, is this yours?"

He turned around to see Blue holding his bag by the handle, a puzzled look on his face.

"Oh yeah...I wondered where that went."

Jeff grabbed the bag and the said their farewells again.

"Hey, one more thing, if you're ever in Viridian City, look me up. I live in the house next to the gym, I might be able to teach you a couple of things."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that."

Jeff started walking towards the back entrance of the lab, quickly turning it into a jog. It must be nearly 10 now, the Professor was not going to be happy. I guess it wasn't his fault that he...pissed off some Beedrill. OK, I guess it kinda was.

He reached the door, shoving it open quickly, then shutting it slowly behind him.

"Ah, Jeff, nice of you to finally join us."

Oak had been waiting for him.

"Professor, I can explain, I just-"

He held up his hand, causing Jeff to stop.

"No need to explain, you're here now, and that's all that matters."

Suprising, he expected a good scolding, that's what usually happened. Some lengthy lecture about the 'early bird catching the Pokémon'. But no, not this time.

"Right, I guess we should get started."

Oak motioned him forward, into the main floor level of the lab. This was the place where trainers were usually given their starter Pokémon.

"Jeff, as you know, you've failed the trainer test four times in a row now, something...that's really never happened before. But...I'm going to frank with you here, I see potential in you as a trainer."

This statement surprised him, he had never heard it be directed at him before. It was usually saved for those that actually passed, that actually had Pokémon.

"That's why I'd like to make you a very unique offer, something I've never done before, just for you."

Jeff raised his eyebrows, this was getting a little strange.

"What exactly do you mean, Professor?"

"Well..." Oak pressed a button on the remote he was holding, causing the table he was standing near to open up, pushing up a pedestal that revealed...

"A Pokéball?"

"Always the astute one." Oak laughed

"Are you just going to GIVE me a Pokémon? Isn't that...illegal?"

"Not exactly. See, I've already checked all this with the League authority, and they're interested to see how it pans out."

"See how what pans out?"

"Let me explain. I'm going to give you a Pokémon, and if you can prove to me that you can care for it, and train it properly, then I'll give you your trainers license."

This offer seemed too simple, I mean, training looked like a cakewalk. Everybody does it, if it was difficult that wouldn't be the case.

"OK, I'll do it."

"Slow down Jeff, I'm not finished." Oak laughed again

What else was there to explain, all he had to do was prove he could be a suitable trainer.

"What else is there to know?"

"As a catch, the League insisted they sent an assessor, someone from outside to test you, to teach you, just to remove any risk of cheating."

"Assessor? Like, a teacher?"

"Exactly!"

Jeff glanced around the lab, nobody else was there.

"So...where are they?"

"I'm glad you asked..."

The professor, turned around, making his way over to the door.

"I need to pick them up from the Cinnabar ferry, they come around in...about 5 minutes, so I better hurry."

Jeff nodded.

"Well, I'll be back with your assessor soon enough, just sit tight."

Oak was just on his way out when he turned back around.

"I guess you could see what Pokémon you have to train...give it a look if you want...just don't break anything in the lab please, young Pokémon can be a little excitable."

It was time. Time for it all to begin.

Jeff made his way over to the pedestal, picking up the ball that sat there.

"OK Pokémon, I'm gonna train you, and we're going to be friends...right?"

He pressed the button on the Pokéball and a red beam shot out of it.


	4. Dragon Daze

It was a kinda small, serpent like thing, with the most adorable face. Jeff recognised it straight away.

"A Dratini?"

He was surprised, I mean, these Pokémon were pretty rare, in fact, you couldn't catch them in the wild in Kanto. Why would Oak give this one to him? Then he realized. Dragons are notoriously hard to train, hard to evolve. This would be a much bigger ask than a typical starter Pokémon. Still, he had to try.

The thing eyed looked up at him with big bright, curious eyes. This thing looked really young, like it had just been hatched.

He keeled down and put his hand out.

"Hey there little guy..."

It darted away from his hand, clearly scared. It was probably only the second time it had seen a human. This was understandable, but it really wouldn't count as a good explanation as to why the Professor's bookshelf had now fallen over. In it's rush to get away, the Dratini had knocked it over with it's rather long tail.

"Oh...I should have seen this coming" Jeff put his palm to his head

He then picked up the ball and tried to coax the Dratini out, so he could just zap it and get it inside. It wasn't working though, so he had to get closer. Jumping quickly into the corner it was hiding in, he blocked it's escape.

"OK, you're gonna wait in this ball for a lit-"

The Dratini dashed forward, smacking him the the stomach, causing the ball to fly out of his hand, half way across the room. He then fell back, winded. It took this opportunity to run off, deeper into the lab. Or, it would've, had it not met with a door.

"That REALLY hurt." Jeff groaned, rolled over onto his belly, then pushed himself up.

He scanned the room for his Dratini, and it's ball. He saw the Dratini, banging it body off the door, attempting to break through. No ball though. He did see something that might be a suitable replacement. A sheet.

"Hmm...maybe." he made his way over to the sheet, pulling it off the table it was sitting on.

Getting on his knees, he slowly crept up behind the Dratini, trying to not make any noise. It didn't notice him. Seizing the opportunity, he jumped with the sheet, covering the little thing with it. He successfully managed this, putting all his weight on each corner. The sheet was perfect...only problem was, he didn't have the ball.

"Jeff, are you there?"

The door creaked open as Professor Oak stepped in.

"Je-"

He saw Jeff on the ground, wrestling with the Dratini on the floor. It had now slipped out, and he was grasping it with his hands.

Jeff glanced up, as the Dratini stopped struggling, also noticing the mood change.

"Um...I let it out, and it kinda ran away..."

Suddenly, someone else stepped out from the door, carrying various cases and bags. It was some girl with blonde hair. She couldn't have been older than twenty.

"Oh my, eh, Professor?" the girl turned to him, a very confused look on her face.

"This..." he sighed and put his head in his hands "...is Jeff."

The Dratini burst out of Jeff's hands and dashed at the girl. She put her arms out and it leapt into them, making cheerful cheeps as it did.

Jeff was confused, why was it so easy with her?

"P-Professor? Who is this?"

"This, Jeff, is your assessor, Ashley."

He suddenly became very embarrassed, this wasn't a good first impression. He quickly stood up, then made his way over to them, adjusting himself as he went. He took this time to quickly analyse Ashley, get a bit more familiar with her face. She was wearing a cap, with her hair coming out the back of it in a long pony tail, she also had bangs that went over the sides of her forehead. The rest of he clothing looked very...touristy, like she'd just came of the Cinnabar ferry...rather suitable, then. A blue Hawaiian shirt with a Pokéball motif, jean shorts, and a pair of blue sneakers. She certainly didn't LOOK like an assessor, more like a typical trainer.

"Heh, you don't need to look so nervous." Ashley laughed, noticing him quickly inspecting her.

Reaching them, he put his hand out, offering a handshake.

"Well...I'm Jeff, but I guess the Professor's already told you that..."

She smirked, taking his hand.

"Ha...well, we might as well get properly acquainted, we'll be stuck with each other for a while."

"Well, hopefully not THAT long" Oak interrupted

"Enough of this talk then, I guess you're wondering why Dratini here is so welcoming to me."

Jeff nodded.

"Well, you see, I hatched this little guy, he was part of a special litter, specifically bred for this little experiment the Professor wanted to try."

His eyes lit up.

"So, he's special?"

"Guess you could say that, specially bred to be difficult to train. Really loving though, one you get his trust...hence why he's so comfortable with me."

This was a lot more planned than Jeff had originally thought, much more difficult than it had seemed from the outset. But, this assessor seemed nice, both in temperament and body...she did look very close to his age...maybe...he shrugged this thought off, he was never really the best with girls.

"So, when do we start?"

He was desperate to get this Dratini training started, learn the ins and outs of everything.

"Eager, I like that...Professor?"

"Well...I should probably show you where you'll be staying first, get you settled in...perhaps in a few hours?"

"That seems like a good plan, OK Jeff, meet me in the lab at...let's say 1pm, we can have lunch in the field, during training. Nice weather for a picnic I think, don't you?"

"That sounds great, should I take Dratini home with me, or just leave him with you?"

Jeff...really wasn't sure if she'd allow him to, after that ludicrous display just there

"Well, he's your Pokémon, it'd probably be the best idea to get him familiar with your home."

He was kinda amazed at this. Making his way over to the Pokéball, which he noticed during the conversation in a corner of the lab, he picked it up.

"Wait, before you return him, why don't you pet him a little, I'm sure he'll be a bit more comfortable with you then."

Jeff nodded, making his way over to the Dratini. It panicked a little at first, needing Ashley to calm it down, whispering something into it's ear. He put his hand out to stroke it, expecting a kinda slimy texture. It wasn't like that when he touched it, actually much more scaly, leathery, actually kinda warm. Dratini visibly enjoyed this.

"Do that with your Pokémon a few times a day, it really helps it develop a bigger attachment to you, which, you probably know, is pretty crucial."

He returned the Dratini to the Pokéball, promising to do so.

"Right, Jeff, it's been nice to meet you, and I'll see you later. 1 pm, remember. Professor Oak has told me you have problems with timekeeping..."

"Oh...yeah...I'll be there..."

Ashley giggled, "Don't worry about it, we aren't all perfect."

"Yes, Jeff, please be here. I'm sure you will though, you seem very eager" Oak waved him off as he left, closing the door behind him.


End file.
